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This blog has been running for 5 years. It is not just a site for commentary but has been used for investigative work, much of which was picked up subsequently by mainstream and industry press. Much of its content has been devoted to student loans, the ‘RAB charge’ and private HE providers.

2013 We broke the redaction on the government-commissioned Rothschild report into the sale of student loans. This is still the only public source of information on sale progress. Rothschild told the government: ‘Capitalism is suspended’.

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Hi Andrew
Thank you for your interesting articles about student loans both here in the UK and in New Zealand.
I feel a bit silly asking about a personal student loan matter, but perhaps you can recommend a contact for professional and accurate New Zealand student loan advice? I want to talk to someone I can trust, rather than the self proclaimed ‘experts’ I’ve seen online.

The 45% figure is now out-of-date but relates to the government’s estimate of its loss on new loans issued each year. The government expected to get the equivalent of 55p back for every £1 lent. This was unsustainable given the budget constraints faced by the department that was responsible for English loans (BIS). A series of measures introduced in 2015/16 reduced that estimated loss to 23%, though that will rise with higher maintenance loans this year. With a lower non-repayment rate (23%), graduates repay a higher share of their loans.